Yin and Yang
by Renara
Summary: What exactly is the difference between light and dark? Yin and Yang? Is one good, the other evil? I don't believe that... everything has some of each within it... some just have more darkness than others. Like me.
1. Kendergarden

Hey there! Thanks for checking out my story, I hope you like it! 

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH, or Alias, from which I got the basic idea of the main charrie's past.

* * *

A six-year-old girl, a bundle of invincible energy with a heart the size of Texas, walked into the white room. She was being led by a man in a suite. She didn't like him much, he smelled like smoke and his hands were rough. He led her to a low table with a plastic red bin sitting on it. Around it were identical tables, all occupied by other children her age with their guides standing behind them. A man entered through a door at the front of the room. The girl blinked. The door looked just like part of the white wall. The man was very tall, with tanned, leather skin and black hair and he wore dark glasses, even though he was indoors. He stood straight against the wall and adjusted the tie of his blue suit. He nodded once. As one the guides of the fifteen children leaned forward and whispered to them in their native languages. Her own guide leaned forward and spoke to her in puffs of air that smelled like smoke. 

"Close your eyes and reach into the bin. Put together what you find there as quickly as you can and do as you've been taught."

The girl nodded and did as she was told. Closing her eyes, #2 stuck her pale hands into the bin. She felt what was there and smiled. She remembered this, they had been taught this just last week. She quickly did as she remembered, not messing up once. Around her, the other children were doing the same.

Exactly ten seconds after the man in front of the room had nodded, the children simultaneously pulled their assembled guns from the bins and pointed them at the ceiling. The man cleared his throat and said, "Fire."

Again, synchronized, the children fired their bullets of reiki energy into the ceiling, an explosion of color that was their different colored reiki. #2's own energy was a pearly white, and her bullet left a neat round hole in the ceiling that she didn't see, as her eyes were still obediently closed.

The man at the front allowed himself a small smile. "Excellent. You are all coming along very well.".

The children, #1 through #15, glowed with pride.

* * *

Ten years later, #2, or as she called herself, Yang, was standing in an alley, a ghost in front of her. The poor thing was terrified out of its mind, or what was left of it. Yang felt no sympathy for it; she knew that what had caused its terror was not herself. In fact, if the ghost knew what she was about to do, it would fall upon its knees and thank her. But, as it was, she'd had to chase it half-way across the world to finally corner it. #s 10, 1, and 14 were on the other side of each of the walls, feeding their reiki into the bricks to stop the ghost from phasing through. Yang (#2) was feeding her energy into the ground through her bare feet. Her gun, pearly white and made out of her spirit energy (the more permanent type), was held in a tea-cup grip, pointed at the ghost as it cowered in the corner. 

"Mr. Micheler?" She asked softly. The ghost nodded dumbly, non-corporeal tears running down its face.

"Rest in peace." And she pulled the trigger. Her bullet, faster than even one without real form could dodge, lodged itself into the ghost's forehead. For a short time, the ghost appeared to have three eyes. Then, in a puff of grey light, the ghost vanished from the world to which it no longer belonged. Yang sighed and re-holstered her gun at her waist, leaving her black jacket-sweater to fall forward and conceal it.

((Okay you guys, all done here.)) #2 communicated internally, using the microscopic chip network that had been implanted into all their skulls.

((Already? After all that, it took only one shot? How anti-climactic.)) Grumbled #14, a wide-eyed Asian girl.

((Ain't that how tal' always is?)) #10 thought back, pulling his reiki back out of the wall.

((I know! )) #1's thoughts were always overly-loud. (( When are we gonna get real assignments?))

((That was a real assignment, #1)) Yang thought back as she turned down the alley to meet up with the others. ((Stopping a leak is important to the Agency.))

((Please.)) 1's sarcastic thought stung Yang's mind, threatening to give her a headache. ((The ten-year-olds could have handled this one.))

((Possibly,)) Yang thought, smiling. (( But then it's their loss because...))

((They don't get to explore Tokyo!)) #14, Yang's closest friend, finished for her.

((Hey, yeah! We don't have to get back to the good ol' US of A 'till next week, now do we?)) #10's southern-accented thought was bursting with delight. ((I always wanted to try me out one of those squid-dishes.))

They met up at the mouth of the alley, #14 emerging from the music shop on the left, #1 and #10 coming from the bookstore on the right. As she put on her shoes, #2 took a moment to survey them.

#14 was Asian, with dark skin and black, slanted eyes. What her grave appearance failed to tell of was her bubbly enthusiasm and over-all optimistic nature. #10 was very tanned, and some might of called him handsome. He was blond-haired and blue-eyed, and had picked up his southern accent during his five-year stay down in Mississippi, from which he had only returned a year ago. #1 was imposing, to say the least. He was the tallest of the Fifteen, and had hair so dark, it was almost blue in certain lights. His eyes were a steel grey, like the over-cast skies of a winter day. The dark coloring of his hair and eyes stood out in stark contrast with his pale, pale skin. The last of the current group, Yang herself, had brown hair that some people insisted was almost black, but others saw it as a near dirty-blond. Yang had never decided herself. Her eyes were a blue-brown, seeming to shift depending on what she wore. Her overall non-descriptness was what had first gotten her recruited into 'the Agency', as the Fifteen called it.

"Right, then."#1 said, automatically taking over. "On to the restaurants."


	2. Sneak

AN: Hello, hope you had a good new year!

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH, or any of the brands of guns I mention here. So please don't shoot- er, sue- me!

* * *

Yusuke and his rival/friend, Kuwabara, watched the American tourists. Why were they watching a perfectly average-looking group of teenage tourists? Because Kuwabara had sensed something strange about them. 

"They look pretty normal to me." Yusuke said, taking a sip of his soda.

Kuwabara didn't answer, his eyes not straying from the group. Finally, he said, "I don't know, Urameshi, just somethin' about them..."

Yusuke glanced at his watch. He was supposed to be meeting Keiko to go shopping for his mother's birthday present, but if Kuwabara was detecting something strange, he was duty-bound to investigate, wasn't he? Yusuke smiled to himself and settled more comfortably into his chair.

* * *

#10 was currently gorging himself on squid, the others watching him in a kind of fascinated horror, their own plates forgotten. 

"You know, 10, that you're gonna regret this pig-out session later?" #14 cautiously reminded him.

"I know, but it's just too good!!" #10 cried out blissfully, and in English.

"Keep it down 10, we're supposed to be inconspicuous, remember?" #1 snapped, glancing around as if he expected anti-Agency people to come sweeping in any second.

#2 made an easy smile. "Don't worry, I'm pretty sure American tourists are the norm here."

#1 subsided, muttering darkly to himself. Yang would have bet money that his eyes were shifting back and forth underneath his reflective sunglasses.

Suddenly, #10 stopped eating and raised his miraculously clean face, staring off at something. "You know, those two fellas over there have been staring at us for near ten minutes."

The others glanced over at a table to their left, behind #2. Yang turned around and let out a hiss of annoyance. "Those are Koenma's boys, the resident 'Spirit Detectives'."

"Let's move, people." #1 said, standing.

Yang agreed. Her friends and herself were illegal immigrants, not to mention that they'd 'killed' a ghost, effectively intruding on the jurisdiction of the resident Spirit Detectives. Throw in the fact that they were a part of a secret organization that wasn't exactly legal, and well... there goes their lives outside prison.

After dutifully paying for their meal (of which only #10 had partaken), they set off down a street lined with tourist shops. It was a bright day, the sun having risen just an hour ago but already it was pretty hot.

#2 removed her jacket, not worried that normal people would see her gun, as it was made out of spirit energy. She did, however, want to let Koenma's boys know not to mess with them. See? Just a normal group of reiki-empowered teenage tourists, nothin' to worry about.

* * *

Yusuke thought differently, though. 'Guess the baka was right.' He thought, rising and casually setting off after the group, Kuwabara right behind him.

* * *

((#10, those guys still following us?)) #1 asked. 

10, their most reiki-sensitive member frowned a bit. ((Hey, guys, you may want to check out their spirit energy for yourselves. Neither of them seem to be much into the finesse side of things, but they've got a hell of a lot of energy.))

* * *

"Hey, Yusuke, their lookin' at us." 

Yusuke frowned. "No, they're not. They're facin' forward."

"Not that kind of lookin'." Kuwabara said.

"Ah."

* * *

((Want to pick up the pace, guys? Losing them would probably be a good idea.)) #2 said, glancing around. 

#14 said, ((I hear that. What if they recognize us as the ones using reiki awhile ago? The boss will be furious.))

As one, they all gave an involuntary shudder. The boss was seldom angry, but when he was, someone usually checked into the hospital soon after.

((There!)) #1 cried out, indicating the book store. ((Our energy from earlier will confuse them. Hopefully they'll loose track of us.))

Ducking into said store, #2 commented, (( We should split up. Four of us, two of them. Plus, we have the network.))

((Right.))#14 and #10 headed to the upper story of the bookstore, #1 breaking off and ducking behind the high shelves, trying to get lost among the considerable-sized anime section. Yang went straight for the back, remembering there was a door without an alarm there.

Once outside, Yang looked around and spotted a service ladder on the side of the building. Using a short burst of reiki she hoped would attract the Detectives and draw them away from her friends, she leaped up to the ladder and started to climb as quickly as she could manage. At the top she turned around and crouched down on the roof, lowering her spirit energy as far as it would go. Peeking over the edge of the roof, she saw the two boys come out of the store, looking around for her.

"I don't see her, what've you got?" Asked the one who, from Yang's position, looked like a shiny black oval.

"Hmmm. Guess they know how to lower their spirit energy, I can't sense 'em anywhere." Answered the orange triangle.

"You see the piece that one girl was carrying? I'm guessing they're all armed. Let's find Boton and see if the pacifier-face knows anything."

Yang allowed a small sigh of relief as the Spirit Detectives took the alley away from her position. She waited for a few moments to be certain they were gone, then stood.

((Uh, guys?)) #10 said, his thought wavering.

((What's wrong?)) #2 asked, climbing back down the service ladder.

((Demon.)) #10 said, his thought-speech bleak.

((Shit. The detectives are gone. Where is it?)) #2 asked.

((Behind the music store.))

((We'll have to take care of this one, it's too close to civilians to leave it alone. #2?)) #1 was the leader, usually. But when it came to battle strategy, #2 was in charge.

((Right. I'm near it, so I'll take point. #10 and #14, you come around from the street side, cut off its escape. #1, you come out the back of the music store. Hopefully it won't be aggressive.)) Yang was cautiously walking down the alley, gun in hand and pointed toward the ground.

Her eyes sweeping across the alley, she spotted a too-solid shadow leaning against the wall across from the back of the music shop. Moving forward and bringing her gun to bear on the shape, Yang stepped from the shadows herself, saying, "Identify yourself."

The shape started, then said in a whispery voice, "Hiretsukan."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Well then, Hiretsukan, step into the light."

And he did. He was humanoid in appearance, but instead of skin, he had pebbly scales. He was wearing rag-tag clothes, and a long lizard's-tail lashed the ground behind him before settling down and curling in at the tip.

Yang allowed herself a brief stare. Wow, a demon. A real I-can't-believe-my-luck demon. She'd seen pictures and been made to memorize the types, but this was her first real encounter with one in the field.

She shook herself a little. Back to the business at hand, please. "Raise your hands where I can see 'em and keep them there."

Unfortunately, the lizard youki had had enough of taking orders from a human. His disturbing face twisted into a gruesome smile, his hands still in his pockets. "You a cop then, ssisssta? Don't cha know, bulletsss can't hurt me?"

Yang smiled. Then quickly reaiming, shot the lizard in the tail.

Howling, he crouched down an examined the smoking tip of his once four-foot tail.

"Stop your sniffling. I know for a fact that you don't have that many nerves in your tail. However, would you like to find out what being shot in the foot feels like? Or the leg? Or the arm?"

Hiretsukan looked up at her, lips pulled back to expose empty gums. "Bitch." He wheezed.

"Now, I wouldn't go calling her that." #10 spoke up from down the alley.

"Yeah, she might choose to shoot something... important..." #14 said, smirking, with her own dark blue gun aimed to the sky.

The lizard's pupils shrunk. Standing slowly, he raised his hands, while stammering, "I-I wasss jusst sssight-ssseeing. No t-trouble heressss." His accent was getting worse.

#1 came through the door, unhurried. Quickly sizing up the situation, he chose not to draw his own weapon and instead leaned casually against the back wall of the music store.

"Well then, you won't mind an escort back through whatever portal you came through." #2 said, gun still steady. She wanted to get moving. Standing there aiming a gun might look cool, but after a while your arms get tired.

The youki looked even more panicked. "I-I can't go back, they'll catch me."

"Who?" Yang asked, lowering her weapon slightly now that 14 had her own gun out.

"Th-The portal wasssn't for me. A coven on the other ssside opened it. I ssssneaked through."

"Stop that infernal hissing. And what do you mean, the other side?" #1 finally chose to speak up.

Now the lizard looked confused as well as scared. "Demon realm. Ssurly you know of it?"

Yang's mouth opened slightly in shock. #14 gasped, and 10 started blinking rapidly. #1 stood up straight and drew his weapon (a mini-uzi of spirit energy). Yang's thoughts whirled around inside her head. Just how long had the boss been looking for a way into the Realm of Demons? As power-hungry as he was, he'd formed the Agency for the sole purpose of making a task-force capable of handling themselves in that place. And now... someone who had witnessed a way to open a portal had dropped right into their hands.

"Right." Said #1. "Here's what we're going to do. You are a chamaeleon demon, and that's how you've managed to stay hidden for so long. You're going to slip back into your disguise and accompany us on a little trip to the States."

"N-no waysss man!! I'm not leavin' here, it's the best place to get back!" The lizard was now turning a pale white, a quite interesting shade against his scales.

"That little handgun that #2 has is very good for small targets, it's not meant to kill." #1 said conversationally. "I, on the other hand, have what's known as a machine gun. It's not so good at leaving easily-healed wounds. With this, I can sever a limb- permanently. How would a pick-pocking scum like you like to go through life without an arm?" #1 was in his element. Interrogation and intimidation were his specialties.

The lizard was now paler than the ghost this morning (though not as transparent). Slowly, he nodded. "I do asss you sssay. I gotss its." His accent was now so thick it was hard to catch what he was saying.

#1 smiled coldly. "Good."

* * *

Hope you liked the chapter, review please! 


	3. Trianing

Hello again!

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH, and... and... I DON'T NEED IT!!! JUST LEAVE ME ALLLLOOOONNNNNE!!! sniff... hic.

* * *

Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, Boton, and even Hiei were assembled in Koenma's office. Well, the first four were assembled. Hiei was in the back leaning against the wall. 

Koenma fixed them all with a critical stare and began the debriefing. "Yusuke and Kuwabara have reported that some reiki empowered teenagers were spotted in Tokyo. They seemed highly trained, and were obviously organized as a team." He sighed. "And also, I've just got word that a demon, one that managed to get to Ninginkei, was abducted behind the same building Yusuke and Kuwabara lost the group in."

"Huh. What would they want with a demon?" Yusuke wondered aloud.

Kurama spoke up. "Possibly to interrogate it. This demon managed to get to Ninginkei, and these people may want to know how."

Koenma nodded. "That's what we're assuming. But as we know nothing about these people, the nature behind them, and how much this particular demon knows, I'm ordering its immediate extraction by our best team. That means you all." He smiled behind his pacifier. "Now, who here knows English?"

"WHAT?! You mean they went to AMERICA?!" Yusuke exploded.

Koenma nodded. "Virginia, specifically."

"Heh. Road trip." Kuwabara said, shocked.

As it turned out, Kurama and Boton were the only ones who could act as translators. Kurama because he was intelligent, Boton because escorting people to the afterlife was easier if they could understand you.

Koenma had Boton open a portal that directly linked them to a privet school in America, where Koenma's agents had managed to trace the demon's energy signature. "Good luck. Not that you'll need it." Koenma said as he turned away. As soon as they were all through the portal, he looked back over his shoulder and added, "Hopefully..."

* * *

The portal took them to a back alley in an American city. As soon as they were all through, Boton sealed the portal as the others took a look around. 

"Looks pretty much like any alley back home." Yusuke said.

"Nah. It smells worse." Said Kuwabara.

"And it's colder." Kurama added, glancing up at the overcast sky.

"So, which way is this place?" Yusuke said.

Boton marched to the front of the group. "Follow me! It's about five blocks and a half-mile away." And they set off.

Before long, they were standing outside a brick wall that was over ten feet tall. Boton turned to them. "This is it. I'll be staying out here. Good luck!"

"If you people don't stop saying that, something is bound to happen!" Yusuke snapped, eyeing the wall.

"Hmph!" Boton, hands on hips, said, "For all you know, you'll need it. It's very unusual for reiki empowered humans to go unnoticed by Koenma, they're so rare. To find four of them in one place is unheard of."

Hiei, who had easily jumped to the top of the wall, was crouching on the white cement that capped it with a shocked expression on his face. "Get ready to hear a lot more of it." He commented after a surprised moment.

"What?" Yusuke said, climbing up the wall himself, followed by Kuwabara and Kurama, Boton floating up on her oar.

When they reached the top, all they could do was stare in wonder. Kuwabara actually lost his grip and slid down a few feet before clambering back up again.

A green expanse of grass rolled away from the wall and up to a manor on a steep hill. The manor appeared to have four stories and, from what little they could see, was over 400 feet long. Though impressive, the manor wasn't what had struck the stunned silence of the group. It was the hundreds of children, assembled in groups and dressed in different colored uniforms. One group of about 15, dressed in white clothes that were lined in green, were balancing with their bare feet on balls of their own reiki, hands clasped together in front of them. A group dressed in white but with yellow lining was doing the same thing, only they were balancing on one hand, upside down. A bit away, a group dressed in black with red lining were lined up with targets, shooting with bows of reiki. A girl dressed in silver with blue lining was walking up and down behind the line, shouting in a commando-style voice in English. Yusuke recognized her as the one who had the gun back in Tokyo.

"KEEP FIRING THOSE ARROWS!! AND DON'T LET THEM FADE! I SAW THAT TRAINEE! YOU KEEP THOSE ARROWS STABLE!"

One of the children abruptly turned and threw down his bow, making it disappear.

The girl was on him in a flash. "DO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM, MAGGOT?!"

They couldn't hear what the kid said to her, but her reply went ringing across the training ground. "YOU KEEP AT IT UNTIL YOU CAN DO THIS!" And the girl, forming her own bow of rieki energy, shoved the boy aside, taking his place. She pulled straight-shafted arrows out of thin air, until she had three. One after another, she fired them at the target, not pausing to see if she hit the mark or not. But instead of her arrows lodging themselves in the wooden circle, they burst straight through, one right after the other, until a perfectly round hole was in the dead center of the target.

Reabsorbing her bow, the girl boomed out again, "IF YOU CANNOT LEARN TO CONCENTRATE ENOUGH TO ENSURE ALL YOU FORM STAYS STABLE, THEN HOW DO YOU EXPECT TO FORM YOUR GUN? OR FIRE IT? DO NOT TELL ME THAT ITS TOO HARD, DO NOT TELL ME THAT YOU AREN'T GOOD ENOUGH. JUST DO IT!!"

She shoved the boy back into his place and resumed pacing up and down the line, correcting stances and barking out reminders.

"Whoa, tough chick." Yusuke murmured, impressed even though he hadn't understood a word she'd said.

They all nodded wordlessly.

"So." Boton said, all mock cheerfulness, "Who wants to go ring the bell?"

* * *

Yang marched back up and down the row, liking what she saw. Since that little scene with the slacker, everyone had picked up the pace, their aims also improving. 'I should do that more often.' She thought smugly. Of course, she'd had nearly eleven years to perfect her technique, but it still felt good to show off once in a while. 

A buzzer sounded from the manor, summoning everyone to an assembly. As everyone immediately set across the ground towards the school, Yang frowned. She hadn't seen so much as a memo on an assembly today. The boss didn't let them in on everything, but as one of the original fifteen- the second no less- she was entitled to certain information in advance.

Suddenly snapped rudely out of her thoughts, Yang blinked and looked behind her, thinking she sensed something. There was only the single guard wall that encircled the entire manor. Not seeing anything remotely suspicious, Yang relaxed and a certain memory came unbidden:

_In his earlier days, while the first fifteen were still children, the boss had been kind of paranoid. No less than three concrete walls, all topped with barbed wire, watchtowers every thirty yards, etc. encircled the manor grounds. Nowadays though, only complete fools tried breaking into the manor- no doubt looking for the valuables such an aristocratic place was bound to have- only to be immediately set on by a dozen of the occupants, each trying to be the first to subdue the trespasser in hopes of gaining the boss' favor. All the walls and such had been torn down a year ago by Yang and the other fifteen, the boss making it into some kind of celebration of the fact they no longer needed his protection. It'd been the most fun she'd had in awhile, gleefully forming walls of energy and enhancing her strength so she simply had to push them through the concrete to topple the barricades. #13 had even formed a wreaking ball of sorts, using his own precious energy to give it all the momentum it needed to make short work of the walls. Of course, they'd all slept for about a week after that, but the boss said they'd earned some down time, having just saved him a great deal on demolition services. Now all that was gone, in it's place a more decorative than functional wall._

All this went through Yang's mind as she scanned the wall, wondering what it was she had sensed. Finally deciding it must have been a stray dog or something, she shrugged and turned to the manor, jogging to catch up with the crowd.

* * *

Hiei's Jagon glowed briefly, filtering through the girl's mind. Unfortunately, the girl had had some mental training and so shields hid her deeper thoughts. The most Hiei could do- without alerting her to the fact her mind was being read- was sift through the thoughts on the surface of her mind. What he saw there slightly impressed him. Normal ningens tearing down concrete walls, each over a dozen feet tall and over 1000 feet long, not to mention the watch towers. Really surprising since it had only taken fifteen of the humans. Kurama's voice suddenly snapped him out of his thoughts. 

"We should follow them in. It appears they are being assembled somewhere, which gives us an opportunity to look around."

Yusuke nodded. "Right. Kurama, Hiei, and me'll go in. Boton, Kuwabara, you stay outside."

"Why can't we come?!" They said at almost the same time. It appeared Boton had changed her mind about staying outside since she had seen the lavish manor.

Yusuke sighed. "Because we want stealth here. These people can sense spirit energy, so we'll need to keep ours lowered. Boton can't do that, and they'll all be mighty interested when they sense ferry-girl energy. Kuwabara will stay to look after her." 'And Boton will watch Kuwabara.' Yusuke thought silently, but catching Hiei's smirk as he read the thought.

"Okay. Let's go." Kurama said, neatly jumping down and setting off for the manor, Hiei and Yusuke following him.

* * *

Well, that's it. Review please!  



	4. Unlocked Doors

Hello and welcome back! Sorry for taking so long, but you know that stupid thing called school got in the way. (sigh) Why don't they just let us live the way we want while we can?

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH... not that I haven't tried.

* * *

Yang trotted along through the crowd inside, people parting to allow her to pass unhindered. Making her way to the front of the auditorium, she spotted 14 coming along as she did, a puzzled expression on her face. 'So I'm not the only one out of the loop.' Yang thought, relieved. 

Numbers 2 and 14 finally reached the front of the old theater and climbed the steps onto the stage, taking their customary places lined up behind the microphone where undoubtably the boss would be speaking. Numbers 1, 3, 7, and 15 were already there, and the other fifteen were making their way to the stage as well, their silver-clad forms sticking out among all the white and black of the other students.

A few moments later, after the crowd had settled down into their assigned places, 1 made his way to a door hidden off-stage, the other fourteen remaining in place at attention, their hands clasped behind their backs, eyes staring forward. 1 opened the door, ushering the boss through. As the boss made his stately way toward the mike, Yang took a minute to observe the splendor of the crowd.

The youngest students, those who were six to ten years old, wore the white that denoted their age. In the next section there were students in black; they were eleven to fifteen years. Only those that had been training the longest, the original Fifteen, were wearing silver. When they reached the ripe old age of twenty (if they managed to live that long) they would don the gold uniforms that so far only the master wore. While the over-all color of the uniforms told a person's age at a glance, the lining on the edges of the uniform showed the level of that particular student. Green for beginner, yellow for intermediate, red for advanced, and blue for mastery.

Finally, the boss took up position behind the mike. He looked out over the 100-odd children in the auditorium, his face impossible to read. Then, in an old voice that was out of place in his thirty year old face, he spoke. "As some of you may, or may not know, four of the Fifteen brought back a chameleon demon yesterday afternoon. With the help of numbers One and Three, we managed to persuade the demon to tell us how it got to our fair world." He smiled ruefully. "Coupled with the knowledge I've gathered in the ancient tomes I collect, I believe we will soon have enough information to open a portal into Makai."

Everyone started talking at once, the youngest asking what a Makai was, the oldest sharing shocked and excited comments with their neighbors. The boss waited patiently for the murmering to die down, then he added, "Of course, we will wait another year for groups B and C to complete their training and don their silver uniforms before attempting to open a portal.

"On another note, unfortunately, the demon was discovered missing this morning. However, that is irrelevant, we've already acquired all the knowledge we needed from it." The boss sighed, raising his face to the ceiling. "Soon our glory will be at hand. The unspoiled paradise of Makai will be ours for the taking!" At this the crowd erupted into cheers, oldest first before the impressionable youngsters caught on and joyously joined in on the noise making.

Yang, however, wasn't impressed, the other fourteen as stoic as she. The boss had failed to mention the demons they would have to exterminate before they could inhabit their new world. But, if any man could find a way to do it, it was the boss. Yang wasn't even sure why he was so obsessed with his 'new world' idea, all she did know was that she owed the boss her life for giving her a home and a purpose. She viewed herself as very lucky, to know ever since she was six that she'd be part of something great, and that her destiny wasn't uncertain anymore.

* * *

Kurama found an open window on the second story they could get through. Once inside, they all cast about with their energy, trying to sense the demon. 

After a long moment, Yusuke sighed explosively. "This place is so damn big! And we don't even know if the demon is awake, or even alive!"

"We have to start somewhere." Kurama said with a sigh of his own.

"Basement would make the most sense. Hiei, you getting anything on that eye of yours?" Yusuke asked, glancing about the carpeted hallway.

Hiei, who had been looking down the hall, turned back to them. "I'm sensing a faint energy signature downstairs, but it's weak."

"I'll take it! The sooner we get out of this place, the better. I don't want to have to deal with fighting a whole army of children."

Hiei smirked. "If it comes to that, don't let your morals get in the way Detective."

"Must be nice to those of us without them."Yusuke muttered.

"Hn. It is. This way." And they set off.

* * *

The assembly was over, everyone was heading to dinner. Yang was in the back of the crowd with 14, sharing a few words, when she suddenly sensed a stray energy signature she didn't recognize. Breaking off right in the middle of what she had been telling 14, Yang looked around, casting about with her reiki. 

"2?" 14 asked. "What is it?"

"Either a stray dog has gotten in here, or someone's come after that demon." She suddenly frowned to herself. "I'm gonna go check it out. You stay here. If I'm not back in an hour, send a search party." She added the last jokingly as she set off at a light jog down a hall.

14 didn't get a chance to say she should come along if it turned out to be anything. 'Oh well. We at least have the network if it turns ugly.' 14 thought, catching up with the crowd.

Yang frowned as she ran. 'Huh. The energy just suddenly disappeared... guess that cinches it. Someone with training is coming after the demon. Wonder if he knows it's already gone?'

* * *

Down in the basement, Hiei had led them to a room with a sturdy lock on the wood-varnished door. 

"Kurama?" Yusuke asked.

Nodding as he stepped forward, Kurama extended a hand toward the lock. A small vine wove itself about his fingers and entered the keyhole. His frown of concentration was suddenly replaced by a look of puzzlement. Quickly withdrawing the vine, he reached forward and easily opened the door. "It wasn't locked..." He said.

"What? How stupid is that!" Shrugging, Yusuke pushed the door open and entered the room.

In keeping with the rest of the decor of the manor, it was an old Victorian room with a single chair in the middle of it.

The three detectives walked in, Hiei crossing the room to the chair, his Jagon glowing briefly. "The demon was here, and judging by it's energy imprint, they had it tortured. After that, I can't sense anything."

"So they had it tortured until it died?"

"Apparently." Kurama said, though he still looked puzzled.

"Well, guess our work here is done." Yusuke said with a sigh as he moved toward the door. He hated it when a mission failed. "Wonder if they learned what they wanted to before it croaked."

"Wait." Hiei said. "I sense another energy signature," He paced to the door. "Here. And then, it combines with the demon's energy... here." And he walked back to the chair.

"Soooo... what does that mean?" Yusuke asked.

"It means someone tried to mask the demon's reiki with his own." Kurama supplied.

"So then, the demon's alive?"

"And apparently someone helped it escape."


End file.
